I had quite a reaction to Peter’s story last week, so much so that I thought I would look a little more deeply at the questions it raised and specifically at how a life company can afford to pay an intermediary €27,300 for Peter’s business. In so doing, I am touching on just one of the many conflicts of interest that are a feature of the financial services industry.

You may have noticed the absence of The Sunday Supplement on Sunday morning. We had a technical glitch, so here it is two days later! This week I explain why the stockbroker model for long term investing is flawed. If you have shares, or want to invest in shares, there is a far more fundamental thing you need to do before you open an account with one of the stockbroking firms in Dublin 2.

I talk a lot about the importance of clearly understanding your objectives when it comes to effectively managing your financial affairs. Sometimes though, we cling to a goal without really thinking it through. We may not give any thought to what achieving this goal will actually do for us. This morning I’m sharing a simple story I came across, which illustrates the benefits of thinking through goals.

I was one of nine children so there was no such thing as food waste in my house growing up. That’s why I was shocked by Sylvia Thompson’s article in The Irish Times a couple of weekends ago. Ireland’s food culture has changed dramatically since the eighties. Households and businesses are literally just throwing money away every year. According to Thompson’s article, it’s easier to waste food than to give it away. In an age where global malnourishment affects millions and our natural resources are being strained to capacity, why do we Irish feel it is acceptable to waste this precious life-sustaining resource?

This week we look at what impact winning the lottery may have on our lives. We have all had *that* conversation: what would you do if you won the Lotto? We are faced with immediate financial decisions and a sense of urgency. I suggest we should apply that same sense of urgency to our own finances, regardless of a Lotto win.